Khephis Diabolos
The Khephis Diabolos is a work of daemonolgy by the late, emminent scholar and Ordo Maellus Inquisitor, Roman Treylandr. The precise nature of the deity of Khephis is still not entirely clear. Usually depicted as taking a strange hybrid kephalopodic-ichthyoid-batrachian form, Inquisitor Treylandr presents numerous theories:- *The primary theory is that Khephis is a lesser deity growing in power, however, if this is the case it is unclear as to which psychic energies feed the entity (where Khorne is fed by anger, Tzeentch by hope etc.) *Another theory proposed is that Khephis is simply a manifestation of Tzeentch, intended to gain the favour and worship of cultures with existing deities and entities resembling Khephis. *A third is that the deity is not truly a Chaotic entity at all, but a manifestation of the Old Ones or their primary servants the Slann - their batrachian appearance lends credence to this theory. Without access to the Black Library of the Eldar little light can be shed on this theory. It seems that the rise of the C'Tan and Necrons may have prompted the possible return of the Old Ones and, or, the Slann. *The fourth, last theory is that the deity is some entriely different warp entity altogether, some primordial creature predating the Chaos gods, the Old Ones, the C'Tan and perhaps even the stars themselves. Whatever the entity's nature, the followers of Khephis present a threat to the Imperium of Man and must be eliminated. 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Whilst no daemonic manifestation is exactly uniform, there are a reasonably consistent number of anatomical and morphological charateristics that allow certain types or even species of daemons to be indentified. The most commonly sighted and reported of the bestial manifestations of Khephis are the Lurkers '''depicted, combining the common ichthyoid and batrachian characteristics in their most base form. With razor sharp teeth, and able to operate on land, water and the most hostile of environments, its highly developed back legs allow it to leap great distances onto its prey. All daemons have weaknesses that may be exploited by the paladins of the Imperium however, and the Lurker is no exception. In particular, its eyseight and senses are poor when on land - this can be made use of when facing them. Additionally, whilst it is able to leap great distances, it is sluggish when moving normally. Ranged weaponry beyond the effective range of the creature's leap is the best approach to take. Instances of Possession Numerous instances of apparent possessed individuals have been seen accompanying the followers of Khephis on the battlefield, both with human cults and the traitor Marines, '''Heralds of Khephis. As with the summoned entities, individuals possessed by manifestations of Khephis display particular fish-like ichthyoid and toad-like batrachian features, such as protusions of fins on the head, arms, back and sometimes legs. Gills are also common, and sometimes accompany the sealing of the mouth area - however, sharp teeth are more common. Large bulbous eyes are often a common feature also. There have been some cases recorded by Ordo Malleus operatives and on the battlefield of possessions taking place where the recipient's legs are replaced by a fish tail or tentacles, and whilst the latter can often function on land, the former are left flailing in agaony and are easily taken out by Imperial troops. In addition to the more fish-like possessions, there are also large numbers of instances of kephalopodic possession - squid-like faces with masses of tentacles. Tentacle-like arms, crustacean claws are also common.